


the wind rotation

by baruna (orphan_account)



Category: Black Clover - 田畠裕基 | Tabata Yuki
Genre: Alternative Perspective, Character Study, Drabble Sequence, Future Fic, Getting Together, M/M, POV Multiple, Slow Build, Sylph doesn't like Asta because she thinks Yuno deserves better, brief noelle/asta
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-17
Updated: 2018-01-09
Packaged: 2019-02-03 13:13:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,494
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12749031
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/baruna
Summary: Or, realizing you're in love is a tiresome, tedious process.





	1. yuno

The man in front of Yuno is attempting to taunt him.

“Pretty, pretty knight.” The lowlife spits salaciously. “You think you can stop us? We’re taking this hoard regardless and you can’t stop us.”

The bandit next to him, likely his partner, shifts nervously. Yuno merely blinks.

“Jord, he’s a magic knight, I think we should—”

“Shut up!” The insolent one—Jord— shouts. “This is our chance. I’m not letting some noble scum take this away from me.”

“I’m not nobility.” Yuno says mildly. 

Yuno can sense Slyph bristling, the magic in the aura trembling in response. She doesn’t like it when people insult Yuno, but Yuno is not keen on bringing the wind spirit out right now. In fact, Yuno doesn’t even need to use his grimoire for this. 

He splays out a palm, face unchanging, and calls forth wind. 

The bandit Jord is a fire elementalist, but a poor one with no training. William must have misgauged the difficulty of this mission, because Yuno takes the both of them out with a simple wind spell. Boring.

“What a waste of time!” Slyph materializes, huffing as she crosses her arms. “We could have been practicing magic together instead of dealing with these losers.”

“Slyph.”

“You know it’s true!” The wind spirit pouts, flitting in the air before landing on Yuno’s shoulder.

Yuno easily conjures wind and speeds towards the nearest town, where his belongings are stored at an inn. It’s a solo mission a days away from the capital, and supposedly mid-level, which was clearly a lie. This should’ve been given to one of the lower-ranked Knights.

Yuno has been part of the Golden Dawn for three years now— he’s eighteen. Nineteen in two months. Huh.

“You always ignore me.” Sylph scowls, plopping on his shoulder cross-legged. 

“It didn’t necessitate a response.” Yuno reminds her. “I wouldn’t ignore you if you said something serious.”

“Well, how about this— I love you!”

Yuno pauses. Comments like those were common from Sylph— I love you, let’s go on a date, you’re my favorite person, Yuno. She was open with her affection, honest and perky like the representation of wind she was. Sylph would never leave him for someone else— Yuno was stuck with her for life. And it had been two years, after all. He spent every living waking moment with her; they’d gone through battles with the Diamond Kingdom, the White Night Eye, and even simple training from when they first met. Sylph knew him as well as Asta knew him. He could rely on her.

It’s not that he doesn’t love her, but…

“Hm.” Yuno says instead, and she clutches her head in frustration. 

They arrive back at the inn, and Yuno flips through his coin to check out. A note falls out from his  bag— a hastily scrawled message from Asta (and his equally shitty handwriting) conveying the simple words, _Good luck, Yuno!_

Yuno bites back a serene smile, lips twitching. 

And then, agitation from his shoulder again. Magic _hums_ around them powerful and unhappy. Yuno ignores it.

“I don’t like him.” It’s a clear stab at Asta. Slyph pursues her lips. “Not as much as I hate that little stinker Charmy, but…”

“You’re jealous.” Yuno knows that, of course, but it’s still amusing to point out. Before he met Sylph, he never could have imaged a spirit as powerful as her getting jealous over petty romance. The romance has faded out to a deep affection ever since he made clear his lack of interest in _anyone,_ not unique to her, but Sylph still got jealous over the most stupid shit. For example, Charmy was nice, but was she an all-powerful wind spirit that had sworn to follow Yuno around for eternity? No. Sylph has nothing to worry about.

Yuno voices as much to her, and Sylph blows air into her cheeks petulantly. 

“So, what? I’m allowed to be jealous. You’re mine.”

Yuno doesn’t deign that with a response. 

“Besides, I wasn’t talking about Charmy.” Sylph points out. “I was talking about Asta. Why do you like him so much?”

“He’s my childhood friend.” And more than that, “My rival.”

Something about Sylph’s demeanor changes. Expectant and tense, almost. 

“And…?” Sylph presses.

“And?”

The wind spirit lets out a breath, exhaling in resigned disappointment. “Never mind.” 


	2. asta

In the city, a day away from the village where Yuno is staying, is Asta. He is the most successful non-magic user of their generation; powerful, slated to become a Captain within a year (and had even taken on the pseudo-position when one of the squad Captain’s got taken down), and popular with the city inhabitants. 

Asta also has a girlfriend. 

He’s dating Noelle. 

Asta remembers his shock when Noelle— powerful magic user, royalty, and a best friend— had gone red and spluttering before asking him on a date. Dumbfounded, Asta agreed. One date led to two, then three, and when she’d asked him if he wanted more, he couldn’t find a reason to say no. It was a neutral sort of agreement. He didn’t want to hurt her by rejecting her, but he wasn’t particularly in love either. Besides, they got along well, and he liked her. She was honorable. A good person.

A trusted teammate.

They challenged each other in the most important ways. 

Not as much as _Yuno_ challenged him, but having a girlfriend wasn’t about constantly being challenged, Noelle told him. 

Well, it was a good thing Noelle was out visiting Nozelle today, because Asta is welcoming Yuno back from a mission no matter what. William Vengeance had been sending Yuno out on derelict missions to the middle of nowhere— this one is closer by, so for once, they both have downtime. 

“Yuno! How’d it go!” Asta greets loudly, running over and clapping the taller man on the shoulder. They’d both gotten taller within the last few years, and Asta broader, but Yuno still towers still by a few inches.

“Too easy.”

“Is that bragging or was it genuinely easy?”

Yuno smiles. 

It graces his face easily, like a breeze, and looks exactly right resting on his devastatingly good-looking face. It’s ludicrously unfair. All the girls love him. 

Thankfully, Yuno doesn’t smile often, though for some reason Asta gets to see that expression quite frequently. 

“My opponents were poor at magic.” Yuno explains. “Simple bandits.”

“Oh.” Asta laughs. “Well, Noelle is out visiting family, so we should spar!”

He finishes the sentence, and there’s a palpable shift in the atmosphere. Asta sees Sylph hiding behind the collar of Yuno’s robe, green shimmering off her body. The wind spirit!

“Hi Sylph!” Asta chirps. She shoots him an indecipherable glance.

Then, Sylph disappears. 

Like, instantly. Fades into nothing, magic humming in the air. 

Asta’s jaw drops. She’s always been quiet or disdainful, sometimes filled with a ready-to-fire snarky comment around him, but that was straight cold. It was weirder that she hadn’t started an argument with him. When Sylph was around Charmy, it was like the two couldn’t _stop_ arguing.

Yuno’s expression barely changes.

“She doesn’t like you.” Yuno supplements helpfully, and Asta leans back on his heels in dismay. He liked _her_. Sylph was cool and powerful and pretty and… damn, spirits were _real_. That was the coolest thing ever. Sylph was literally a representation of wind itself, and she didn’t like him?

“But why?”

Yuno shrugs. “Beats me.”

Asta frowns, feeling a little sad. It was unfortunate, but— at least Yuno liked him, and that was all that mattered. 

 

 

 

It’s not in Asta’s nature to think too long or hard on why Sylph dislikes him. The most simple reason would be her protective nature.

Except, Asta has known Yuno since they were children. Asta was the last person Sylph needed to worry about. He would die for Yuno, and he knows Yuno would do the same for him. It’s reflective of their childhood, when Yuno was frail and shy and Asta’s interactions with him consisted of a underlying tenderness that had dissipated as they got older.

As they grew older, Yuno also grew attractive. That was fact. 

But an objective acknowledgement of beauty was different from appreciation. Asta came to that conclusion regrettably and bemusedly late. Years later and in his late teens, Asta finds himself gazing at the dusting of Yuno’s dark lashes for a second longer, the perfectly arched cheekbones and porcelain skin. 

Yuno had a long neck— long everything, really. Nice, elegant hands and graceful fingers. Yuno’s face and body were perfectly in proportion. The wind-user was very, very good-looking, like how Noelle was pretty (which was also something Asta had only come to appreciate recently). 

All of this meant very little. Asta spent little time with Yuno— they were in different teams, and sent on different missions. In recent years, they tried to set aside time so that they could meet, but it was difficult. This newfound appreciation was therefore inconsequential; resting easily at the back of Asta’s mind and barely pricking this thoughts.

Now, though, with Yuno sitting directly in front of him, Asta is distracted. How is it possible for a single man to have such an amazingly balanced and composed face? 

“You’re staring.” Yuno intones, still looking down at the menu. Asta chokes.

“What the— how the hell did you know?” Yuno wasn’t even _looking_ at him. 

“I can sense it.”

“Oh, shut up. You can’t! There’s no way.”

Yuno blinks once and looks up, setting the menu down deliberately. His expression is the same as ever— serene and palatable. 

“Something is on your mind.” Yuno says slowly, dark eyes inky and fathomless. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” Asta squeaks, cursing himself internally. He’s flustered— unnecessarily. There’s no reason to be flustered.

No reason at all.

“Alright.” Yuno says. He seems to dismiss the strange reaction, lips flat, before ordering. All is as it should be. 

Meanwhile, Sylph is silent— sleeping— on strike. 

 


	3. sylph

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sylph dislikes Asta precisely because of how much Yuno likes him.

Sylph is an eternal being inundated with the power of elemental existence. She is the wind, the breeze shifting through the air against one’s cheek, the bluster accompanying a hurricane, and the gentle cool touch against skin during summer. 

Sylph is many things. Sometimes she is angry, but most of the time light and energetic, which is why she’d taken form as a tiny, winged sprite. Magic has bound her; ancient words lancing through her element and laying prey to writ powers. 

Years later, Yuno frees her. Or alternatively, he makes use of that dormant power.

Yuno is young— mana undeveloped and magical pathways still underutilized. But there is potential there. Not just magically, but personality-wise. 

This child is hers. He is the one.

Later, she’ll conclude that Yuno is the best thing that has happened to her; and Asta the worst. 

 

 

 

The thing is, there’s nothing wrong with Asta. Not really. He’s fiery and energetic— hardworking. The demon-blade wielder doesn’t know _how_ to give up, even if he was crude and had no sense of propriety. In part, Sylph inherently dislikes him because he can cancel out magic, and thus cancel out _her_ , but morality-wise (not like she _has_ morals, but by a human standard…), Asta is fine. So, that’s not the problem. 

Sylph dislikes Asta precisely because of how much Yuno likes him. 

If Yuno liked her, or even _Charmy_ , as disgusting it was to think it, Sylph could rest easy within the deep confines of her spirit that Yuno’s affections would not go unreciprocated. With someone as dim-headed, idiotic, and self-sacrificing as Asta, Yuno’s interest was simply lost on the fool. Yuno would get his heart broken.

Not that Yuno himself knew that he was interested. He was stubborn. Placid. Good thing Sylph knew the wind-user better than he knew himself. 

And now, Asta was dating Noelle, the annoying little noble girl. Sylph didn’t like her. She didn’t like most people who were in proximity with Yuno, but Noelle was particularly irritating— because she was the source of Yuno’s recent discomfort. 

Sylph could sense it. Yuno chalked it up to a new understanding of how he saw Noelle and Asta, especially with their romantic relationship, that required an adjustment of his perception. Sylph saw his feelings for what they were— uncomfortable isolation, a little jealousy, and the stronger feeling of being left behind. He deserved better, and Sylph wished she could give it to him. As things were, however, she could only express her cold resentment by ignoring Asta and clearly articulating her dislike to Yuno.

“What is _wrong_ with you?” Yuno asks, sounding a tiny bit frustrated for once in his life. 

When Sylph is genuinely, markedly unhappy, it affects his mood as well.

“Asta.” She says, and pauses, silent for a long moment. Yuno stares at her.

Sylph pursues her lips. The reticence is unlike her. 

“Asta is dating that Noelle-girl.”

Yuno’s lips part minutely. He is stone still.

“Yes. He is.” Yuno says. “Is that why you’ve been…”

This conversation is positively titillating. Sylph flutters around the curve of his elbow to settle on the windowsill in his room. She crosses her legs, picking at a fingernail. 

“Been what?”

The light slants through, hitting Yuno’s face just the right way.

“Quiet.” He finally decides, and the response is contemplative— less snarky than what she’s used to. Yuno looks _worried_ for her. That’s rich, considering she’s the one who is worried for _him_. 

“Have I been?”

“You are right now. You’re being too serious.”

Yuno holds out a palm, a gesture of offering, and she flies over to sit on his hand. Sylph settles a hand on his wrist and squeezes affectionally. He hums in acknowledgement. 

“Yuno, why haven’t you ever dated anyone? You haven’t gone on a single date since I’ve known you.”

He blinks. “I was never interested. I was…” _Interested in someone else?_

Sylph lets a breeze waft through the room. It makes her feel more at home. “Fine. Then, why were you so distant when Asta and Noelle started dating?”

He’d gone out less, taken more missions; interacted with Asta and Noelle on an awkward spectrum of marginally little. Yuno had even, somehow, been quieter then he already was. Unresponsive, as if there were something on his mind. It did not take a genius to deduce the subject of his turmoil. 

“What are you trying to say?” Yuno asks quietly. 

“I’m saying that you should give up on him.” Sylph says, and the room grows still— the breeze stops, magic suspended. “You have— feelings— or whatever, for him. That’s why I don’t like him. He’s idiotic, dim— he’ll break your heart.”

And Yuno deserves better than that. She’ll protect him. That’s her job.

Yuno’s expression is a new one; a mixture of surprise, confusion, awkwardness. The fact that there’s an expression there at all is telling.

“You’re—” Yuno breaks off, eyes sliding to the side. _Wrong,_ he wants to say, except he can’t, because Sylph is _right._

She sees it all. The slow revelation of his feelings. The denial, the pain, the comprehension. And this all means nothing, because Asta is with Noelle and he’s also a loud little ass. 

“Yuno.” Is all Sylph says, and then she fades with her magic, intangible to the physical world, because she has done her job. Yuno wants to be alone.


	4. yuno

Yuno starts to avoid Asta. It's a surprisingly easy task.

They don't see each other that often, and it takes a concerted effort on either part to keep up correspondence, especially when team rankings are coming out. With the hustle and bustle of reelections and Magic Knight initiation season, none of the Knights have a free schedule. Yuno spends an obscene amount of time on missions, or sipping tea with William, who has taken him under his wing.

"You've done well, recently." William says, sitting regally in his chair. Yuno can barely see his eyes through the mask; only a picture-perfect demeanor of deliberation. 

"I've always done well." Yuno says, looking up from the chess set. He moves a rook. "Your move."

William lets out a light chuckle. "Indeed. It's not arrogance to say that you're set for Captaincy."

Yuno remains quiet, staring down at the game. He's lost almost every match against Vangeance. The man is a strategic beast.

They're silent for the duration of the chess match. In the recent years, since Yuno first joined the Golden Dawn, he has come to respect Vangeance. The man is polite, kind, and a great leader. He's also creepy and unnerving at times, but that's what makes him a legendary, household name. 

"Checkmate." William says, smiling serenely. Yuno blinks, leaning back in his chair. He almost sighs, except his face is trained into blankness.

"Next time."

"Of course." William says, and then hesitates. Which is not normal. Yuno dreads the anticipation, but all William utters is, "Are you okay?"

Yuno tries not to let the furrow in his brow show.

"I'm fine."

"I see." William replies. "I say this not as a superior, but as a friend. The Black Bulls boy— you have not spoken with him for some time."

Yuno stiffens minutely. At his side, Sylph shifts in the air, invisible. William's eyes glance towards the invisible space where her magic lingers, able to sense the disturbance. Sylph has been giving Yuno space ever since their conversation about Asta, only appearing during battles to offer support or tentative teases. They have both been studiously avoiding the fact of his reticence over the entire subject. 

William notices all this and smiles, a tiny quirk at the corner of his mouth. 

"Perhaps you should visit him." William suggests. "It is your birthday soon, after all." 

"Perhaps." Yuno repeats, which really means no.

Besides, he doesn't celebrate his birthday. Unfortunately, he knows that Asta is going to come barging in with some type of birthday celebration anyway. With that realization, Yuno blanches. He says, "Actually, can you schedule me for a mission on my birthday?"

Blinking, William sets down his cup of tea, hand drawn across the table. "Are you sure?"

Yuno just _looks_ at him. Why the hell would he ask if he weren't sure?

"Alright." William concedes, "There's a dungeon down South that the Golden Dawn is hoping to claim. It's a multi-star mission. Does that seem acceptable?"

Yuno nods.

Perfect.

 

 

 

The mission is in a jungle, overgrown green with a palette of various ferns, trees, and birds. Yuno darts underneath a branch as Mimosa jumps on top. To their right, Alecdora rushes forwards ahead of them all. As he passes by, a vein pops out on his forehead. Mimosa sighs.

"Why did Captain Vangeance put you and Alecdora on the same mission? What an awful idea." 

Yuno shrugs. He and Alecdora get along much better than they did before, but the tension is still palpable on missions. And Mimosa is practically there as a nobility-medium buffer. 

"This is the entrance." Alecdora says gruffly.

"It's... ancient." Mimosa echoes, staring at the stone door. The door is covered in moss, strange etchings marked onto thick slate. Yuno reaches over a hand, but Mimosa stops him.

"Creation magic." She says, and spreads a palm against the door. The entire thing rumbles. " _Powerful_  creation magic."

Alecdora shoots her a sharp look.

"The elves?"

"Maybe." Mimosa replies, eyes narrowed in concentration. Yuno is useless here, so he steps back. Sylph's magic shudders restlessly in the air—his fingers start to tingle in response, wind spells arching at his beck and call. There is something strange about this place.

The door splits apart in a strange formation, leading into the dimly lit pathway. The three of them stare into the blackness.

"I wish Leopold were here." Mimosa echoes listlessly. Her cousin? The other Vermillion.

"Why?" Alecdora asks.

"Because at least he's a good conversationalist. Unlike you two."

Alecdora scowls in response. Yuno remains silent, which pretty much confirms her statement. Well, she's not  _wrong_.

The three march onwards; Mimosa at the rear, Yuno at the front, and Alecdora in the middle. It's a safe formation— Yuno is faster and possesses a fair repertoire of offensive spells. The entire dungeon is strangely empty. The path diverges into a large chamber with mild growth, and no human beings. Mimosa splays a hand and reconstructs the entire dungeon, biting her lip. They stand in the middle of the chamber, staring at her creation-magic map.

"There's... not much here." Mimosa says, confused. "All the paths lead here, to the middle. There's a large source of water— a waterfall and a small pool. Strange. Perhaps a magic tool?"

"It's certainly not treasure." Alecdora grumbles. "There's nothing here except plants."

Yuno nods and points. "This path is fastest."

Exchanging glances and humming in agreement, Yuno is the first to shoot off, floating above. He casts magic and lifts the other two, except Mimosa shrugs him off. In the last few years, she's upped her magic capabilities beyond simple healing. 

By the time they reach the end of the dungeon, they're all looking at each other in confusion and suspicion. What the hell  _is_ this place? There were no obstacles, no living creatures, not a hint of danger. Just overwhelming, stifling, magic inching and creeping over every inch of the place.

In the center of the room is a giant pool. A tiny waterfall comes from further above, dropping into the clear blue pool. It looks otherworldly. Pure. Magic emanates from the pool in firm waves. 

"What _is_ this?" Mimosa asks, walking over curiously.

Alecdora frowns. "No idea."

"Wait, I'm not sure but— there's a _grimoire_ in here!" 

Shocked, Alecdora scrambles over to where Mimosa is, peering over the edge of the pool. Yuno walks over too, and a feeling of wrongness  _pounds_ at him, stronger than ever. Something is wrong. Something is _wrong_.

The book is suspended, still, in the water, as if it has suffered no damage from submersion. Mimosa clenches her hand into a fist over the pool, and vines erupt from either side, ready to plunge into the water.

Sylph's magic explodes.

Wind bursts across every surface in the room, whipping Yuno's hair as his heart pounds from the sudden influx of mana. 

"Tell her to  _stop_!" Sylph shrieks, alarmed as Mimosa's vine barely touches the surface of the water. "Yuno— _no_ —"

Water is everywhere, pouring upwards like a geyser as the formerly submerged grimoire opens freakishly in front of them. Sylph cries out. Yuno can barely breathe.

The last thing Yuno sees is water.  


	5. asta

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aaaaand i need to edit this entire thing, but for now, enjoy! :)

Asta is dense, but he's not  _that_ dense. He can tell when someone is ignoring him, especially someone as important as Yuno. Fuck, and Yuno's birthday was yesterday, except all his squad members said Yuno was out on a mission. Who the fuck goes out on a mission on their  _birthday_? 

That was a rhetorical question. Yuno was  _exactly_ the type of person to go on a mission on his birthday, the avoidant asshole. 

Meanwhile, Noelle lifts up a fancy, silver fork to stab at a piece of meat. She chews meticulously, keeping her eyes on Asta. 

"So, what's the occasion?"

"Huh?"

She splays a palm at their surroundings, gesturing pointedly. "This is sweet. You've never done this before."

Indeed, the restaurant they are in is high-end and nice. Precisely the sort of thing that Noelle enjoys. And the type of place that makes Asta uncomfortable. His thoughts stray in every direction, from his recent missions to Finral's advice about dating to Yuno's obvious avoidance. The most pressing matter being Asta's presence tonight, of course. He'd invited Noelle out.

"You like it?" Asta manages, turning red.

This is not his scene. Fancy dates and noble etiquette all bundled up to make him feel the worst sort of displaced. But, Finral told him he should take Noelle someplace nice. Break the news to her gently. That sort of thing. 

And Finral knows women. Asta does  _not_.

"I love it!" Noelle says. She's way too happy. This is an awful idea. 

Might as well give it to her straight. Asta gulps.

"I'm breaking up with you." He says, uncharacteristically quiet. Surprisingly, Noelle doesn't cry or react much at all, as he thought she would. In fact, her face just falls, the smile fading away.

Asta realizes that her prior elation was fake; exaggerated.

"I should have known." Noelle sighs, setting her fork down. "I guessed something was up, but, I don't know. I wanted to pretend that everything was going to be okay."

"I'm sorry." Asta says, genuinely. He's not  _guilty_. But. "I'm super busy recently and honestly, I don't think I can return your feelings. Not  _that_ way, at least."

Noelle is an amazing, brilliant person. She's beautiful and brave and intelligent, except Asta doesn't love her that way— which in itself is hard to come to terms with, because Asta is shit at understanding his own emotions. He's spent more time this last month thinking about Yuno's eyelashes than Noelle and their two month anniversary, which probably has a lot of subtext that Asta stoutly isn't going to think about. And then there's Finral's voice telling him,  _You should talk to the Golden Dawn kid, Asta. And also break up with Noelle, because it sounds like you don't actually love her._

Noelle taps a couple of fingers on the table, lips pursed. Actually, she doesn't look too sad.

"It's that guy from Golden Dawn, isn't it?"

Asta chokes on his sip of water. "What? What makes you say that?"

"I don't know. You talk about him a lot."

"We're rivals! Of course I talk about him."

She narrows her eyes suspiciously and picks up her fork again, stabbing at the piece of meat violently. Asta cringes. 

"You... don't seem that upset." He remarks.

"Yeah." Noelle shrugs. "I started to realize that dating you wasn't all that I thought it would be."

" _Hey_!" Asta yells, standing up as his chair scoots back. "What the hell does that mean? I rocked your world!"

"You really didn't. You're a simpleton. You didn't even take me on dates— except for this one, and it was to  _break up with me_. Asta, you're not a romantic."

A waiter comes over to shush them, and Noelle waves him off casually. Asta's ears are beat red from embarrassment or anger, he doesn't know which. God, Noelle is seriously the worst. He's outgrown his phase of senseless shouting and scene-making from his preteen era, but Asta is still prone to exuberant outbursts. Noelle is the best at bringing that out in him. 

"Stuck-up priss." Asta mutters.

"Excuse me?" Noelle asks dangerously. 

"I said," Asta repeats, ready to fight, and there's a smile playing at her lips now in familiarity— he misses his  _friend_ Noelle instead of girlfriend Noelle, and they're finally bantering again, except something bursts into the restaurant. A huge, blasting noise. The champagne glass on their table explodes.

Someone in the restaurant screams as a huge burst of wind knocks their cutlery off the table. 

Noelle's wand is already in her hand as she stands, weaving protective spells over their body. Asta arches defensively, ready to fight whatever entity has infiltrated the restaurant— it must be an ambush specifically for them. There are no other Magic Knights here, and this magic it far too powerful.

Except, the tiny figure hovering in front of them, gasping for breath is no enemy.

It's Sylph.

 

 

 

"Sorry, repeat that?" Noelle asks. "You were separated from Yuno because he's— trapped?"

They fly through the city, Sylph's freakishly powerful magic propelling them. Noelle had footed the bill at the restaurant and paid for damages.

Asta's hands sweat. If something has happened to Yuno... no. Yuno is far too powerful. He's Asta's  _rival_.

"I was ripped apart from him." Sylph says, lips twisted. She doesn't look pleased to be speaking to either of them, but she came anyway. That means Yuno is in serious danger. "The dungeon— there was something weird about it. Something familiar, too."

"What does  _that_ mean?" Asta bursts out. They're going really fast, so at least there's that. But what if Yuno is dead by the time they reach him?

"The plant girl—Mimosa— mapped out the area. There were no monsters, no traps. Just a strong magic door."

Noelle freezes.

"Mimosa is there?"

"Yes." Sylph says. "Please, we have to get to Yuno."

"You should have told me Mimosa was there in the first place!" Noelle shrieks. "Pick up the pace! Hurry!"

"Shut up!" Sylph says. "I don't care about the girl, only Yuno. And I'm already going as fast as I can!"

"Let's just hurry." Asta yells, because the wind is really loud and he can barely hear anything. Everyone is yelling. Worry, stress, and tension make the worst of their personalities, evident by the way Noelle is currently glaring at Sylph. The wind sprite ignores her and whips her tiny arms, rushing them through the air. 

By the time they reach the dungeon, Sylph is exhausted. She's panting and sprawled over Asta's shoulder; the separation from Yuno taking a drain on her magical abilities. Asta is pretty sure that she doesn't want to rest on him, but her alternative is Noelle, which is an obvious no-no. And Mimosa was right; the dungeon  _is_  strange. 

"There's no magic here," Noelle mutters lowly, "Except further in. There's something powerful down there."

Asta can barely follow the magic with his eyes. Tendrils of green and blue intertwined mana twist across the floor and thicken as they walk further in. Sylph hunches over and clings onto Asta's shirt. 

"He's in there." Sylph whimpers. "My powers are too weak."

Asta hurries.

They hasten along the open corridors of the dungeon and come closer to the abnormality. Noelle bites her lip.

Crawling black stone and dirt engulfs the opening to the chamber. The chamber itself, however, is glittering green and blue. In the middle of the room stands a pool, and above the pool floats Mimosa, Alecdora, and Yuno.

Asta can hear Noelle's breath catch. Mimosa's hair floats in the air as she levitates unconscious above the water. All of three of them are wet, damp, as if they've taken an unfortunate dunk into the pool.

"You said there was a grimoire here?" Noelle asks, cautiously circling the pool.

She raises a palm to cast magic, except nothing happens. She exhales. 

"Your magic doesn't work?" Asta asks, alarmed. Noelle shakes her head.

"The grimoire isn't gone." Sylph interjects.

"What?"

"Look." Sylph points at Yuno. And indeed, directly behind him, floating above his shoulder, is a tiny... thing. Watching the three of them. Stark, powerful magic radiates from the tiny figure.

Asta sees red.

"Let them _go,_ " He glowers, having identified the source of the problem. His murderous intent bleeds through the room.

The minuscule creature shifts in agitation, and a huge, splash of water comes towards them at high speeds. Asta whips out his sword and cancels out the attack. The ground is wet, now, but no one is otherwise harmed.

"Magic doesn't work on me." Asta scowls. He leaps up to kill the thing, and it flitters away, frightened. 

"Wait." Noelle says. "I think... it's like Sylph."

"What the hell does that mean?" 

"It's a water sprite." Noelle states, fascinated. "I think it has the Mimosa and the others under a spell. Perhaps we can come to an agreement with it."

"No," Sylph finally speaks up, perched on Asta's shoulder. "You're right that it's the water sprite, Nymph. But unlike me, she's been too removed from human civilization. You can't reason with her."

The water sprite sends another huge wave of water at them, but this time embedded with icicles. Noelle takes out her want and turns it around, except Nymph raises a tiny hand and stops the assault. A mini-tsunami hovers in the room. Wonderful. Asta slashes his sword and eliminates the water. It splashes to the ground. Noelle grimaces with the realization that her water powers are virtually useless against  _the_  spirit of water.

"Let them go." Asta growls, and Nymph blinks into existence in front of him.

"No."

"Let Yuno and them go," Asta repeats, "Or I fucking kill you."

Noelle glances at Asta, startled. He's more furious that he'd thought. But seeing Yuno there, dark hair wet against his forehead and face grey,  _helpless_ , is unacceptable. 

"No." 

Asta grits his teeth. 

"You can banish her." Sylph whispers quietly into his ear.

Which is when Asta remembers; Fana had summoned Salamander into her clutches, which meant these elemental spirits could be banished as well. He can do it the same way. His grimoire is certainly capable of it. The fact that Sylph is telling him at all shows how desperate she is; this could potentially be used against her later, not that Asta ever would.

Asia's blade lights with pulsing, black magic. Noelle inches away. It's not the first time she has seen this, but it never ceases to make her uncomfortable—high-level demonic power capable of suppressing any sort of magic. Asta twitches his fingers and raises an arm, curling his fingers into a fist.

The water sprite, Nymph, tries to run. She finds that she can't. Asta frowns— it's not like he enjoys torturing this creature, but his friends will always, _always_ be first. 

He doesn't have to look at his sword to know that it's glowing.

And then—

Nymph blinks out of existence.

The water in the room dissipates, and Yuno, Mimosa, and Alecdora drop suddenly onto the ground with a squishy plop. Noelle runs forwards and spreads a hand against Mimosa's forehead. Sylph can still barely move from her spot aside Asta's shoulder, but she tugs at his ear painfully. 

He sprints to Yuno's side and looks over at the three of them—Alecdora is already beginning to rouse, as is Mimosa. Mimosa murmurs something, pupils shaking underneath her lids. Alecdora groans loudly.

Yuno is silent.

Asia's breathing quickens. He begins to panic.

"Why isn't he waking up?" Asta chokes out as she shakes Yuno's thin shoulders. The man's black turtleneck is barely enough to keep him warm, indicated by the cold flesh of his neck. He _does_ has a pulse, thank god.

"He's..." Sylph's voice wavers. "Let me try."

Asta lets out a shaky breath. His heart beat in a rhythmic, almost painful manner against his chest. "He's Yuno. He'll be fine." 

It sounds a lot like he's trying to convince himself.

Sylph floats downwards and plops down on Yuno's forehead. Her little mouth scrunches up.

"He's completely drained of mana." She says. "Nymph took the most from him, after she kicked me out of his body. Probably because she was bitter."

"Can you go inside him again?" Asta asks anxiously. This time, he's joined by the rest of their motley crew. Mimosa rests a hand against his shoulder, awake and seemingly well.

"Perhaps I can try." 

Yes. She's the healer. She can help. 

Asta moves out of the way, and Noelle side eyes him. "You're worried."

"Of course I fucking am!" He is incredibly stressed at the prospect of Yuno being in a permanent coma. She shoots him another look.

Mimosa lets out a breath as her vines erupt from the ground. "Yuno will be just fine. He just needs rest and some mana healing, which I can do right now. Sylph should stay by his side until he wakes up to supply more mana."

All of them sigh simultaneously in relief.

"Now," Mimosa says, her vines lifting Yuno up into the air. "Who's writing the mission report for this fiasco?"

 

 

 

Alecdora ends up writing the report, to his misfortune. They're on a carriage back to the city, so that Mimosa can take a nap as Alecdora sits in the front, pursing his lips over the mission details.

Yuno wakes up thirty minutes away from their destination, eyes blinking awake silently. It's so _him_ that Asta can only yell loudly at his still figure.

"I knew you'd make it!" Asta says loudly, "Geez, I was really worried!"

"Of course I would." Yuno replies, and his throat is all scratchy.

For a moment, Asta doesn't say anything. He just stares. Yuno stares back. Noelle looks pointedly away.

"Seriously," Asta says, more solemnly this time, "I'm glad you're okay."

"...Thank you."

Sylph is gone, morphed again into Yuno's mana. He's already looking livelier and less ghostly white. Then, the corner of Yuno's lip quirks up.

"I think Sylph likes you now."

"Really?" Asta asks, a little too fast. He reiterates slowly, "Do you know why?"

Yuno shrugs. "Saving my life probably helped."

"Of course. I'm a hero."

Yuno ignores him, and Asta almost punches him in clear offense, except Yuno turns to look directly at Noelle, who has moved to the front of the carriage next to Alecdora to give the two space.

"Oh." Asta says, responding to the look. "We broke up."

Yuno freezes. 

"I was way too worried about you to focus on my relationship with her. Besides, did you think I wouldn't notice you ignoring me? Why were you doing that?"

"Yeah, why  _were_ you doing that?" Sylph asks, suddenly reappearing. Yuno reaches to flick at her, but she dodges. For a long moment, Yuno looks every except Asta. When he finally turns to meet Asta's gaze, Yuno looks decisive. 

"Jealous."

Asta blinks. "What?"

"I was jealous."

"... Of what?"

Yuno looks a little frustrated now. Sylph's expression is positively gleeful.

"Noelle."

"Why are you jealous of Noelle? You're more powerful than her." Asta says the last part in a hushed tone. Better not to let her hear that.

Sylph slaps her tiny hand across Asta's face. "You're a dense idiot! Yuno  _likes_ you!"

"Huh?"

Yuno's face is so unreadable that Asta is half-scared he's morphed into marble. His mouth is clamped shut, and Asta wouldn't be surprised if there were invisible threads sewing his lips together. Yuno is... anxious. Asta's jaw drops. This is Yuno's version of anxiety and worry, and there could only be one reason for that.

Yuno  _like_ -likes him.

Holy shit.

Realization floods his veins, and also surprisingly, _joy_. Asta is happier than he's been in a long time.

The countless hours spent admiring Yuno's stupidly lovely face and thinking about his symmetrical features abruptly makes a lot more sense. Asta _is_  dumb. How couldn't he have known? And now he's smiling like an idiot at Yuno, who just stares bemusedly. Yuno has absolutely no reason to be anxious.

Asta reaches over boldly and holds Yuno's hand, staring firmly ahead. The tips of his ears are red, because Asta is shit at romance, but this should be a clear enough signal. Yuno remains silent, but his fingers tangle with Asta's. He gets it.

Thank god. Both of them are blushing now, which is. Fine.

Between them lies two tightly held hands. A step forwards.

Meanwhile, Sylph rests contently on Yuno's knee. She fades away into Yuno's mana rather peacefully. Maybe she doesn't hate Asta that much after all.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> find me on tumblr @ foodnotenough. i wrote this fic mainly to encourage an increase in written fics on ao3 for black clover and hope that in the future more and more people write for this fandom! :)


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